Indeed, Myers was fondly referred to as the “human metronome” by bandmate Gerald Casale. His role diminished over time as the band gradually embraced more straightforward rhythms and electronic percussion, but Myers’ almost super-human power and precision were the pumping robot heart of Devo’s harder-rocking early material. Myers’ deconstructed drum part on the bands’ radical interpretation of the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” is especially memorable. You can watch it below in a 1978 performance on Saturday Night Live.

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During this era, Devo’s live act was both weird and powerful, and Myers’ drumming was an authoritative presence, pounding the band’s message of de-evolution straight into the audience’s cortex.

In their book We Are DEVO! Jade Dellinger and David Giffels write that the band reacted to the rock music of their early years—acts like the Rolling Stones, in other words—with an “intent to strip out one kind of artifice (white artists acting like black men) and replace it with another (white artists acting like robots).” Alan Myers’ idiosyncratic jerky grooves, evocative of a robot learning to dance, were one of the essential musical tools they used to achieve their particular and unforgettable sound. R.I.P., human metronome.